MY
FAVOURITE THINGS ABOUT THE VILLA MY
FAVOURITE THINGS ABOUT THE VILLA
Over the years I have been fortunate to witness many great things down at Villa Park including some great players fantastic matches and also travelling abroad to classic games here are some of the great things I have seen.
Up until a week before the game I didn't even know I would be going, someone dropped out of the coach trip so I was on my way I couldn't believe it. So there I was standing at the Villa leisure centre on the Monday morning waiting for the coach to pick us up I think it was a parry's coach but all could think of was THE match on Wednesday. We drove down to Dover and caught the ferry to Ostend in Belgium it was the first time I had been abroad and it was really exciting. When we arrived we stayed at the hotel and had a good rest, next morning we walked around the town, it was a really hot day so we hired a four wheeled cycle which you peddled but drove like a car we went all over the town wrong side of the roads occasionally as well but who cared we were going to lift the cup so we thought. I travelled with my uncle and two of his friends who had been to the semi final against Anderlecht which we had won 1-0 on aggregate. Before the game we went to this small shop witch sold beer to get some cases to slurp because there was so many villa fans the police came and gave us a load of footballs to play with to pass the time so every body could have a kick about before the game. When it was time to go the river which we sat by was covered for about a hundred yards with beer cans no water could be seen that was one of the things I remembered most about the trip. On the way to the stadium I hid three tins down each sleeve of my coat so to drink later but I was caught as they checked everything so I had to drink six cans or throw them in a big bin so drank about four but no more so I chucked two then we went in. when in side it was so hot one man sat in just his underpants which was very funny to the people by us. After ten minutes shock horror Jimmy was going off with a neck injury to be replaced by Nigel Spinks who??????? we asked but we needn't have worried soon he was going to win us the game. After a rather average fist half where the krauts should have scored three thanks to Spinksy it was 0-0.The second half starts and again Bayern pound us but we hold firm until the middle of the second half when Tony Morley crossed for Peter Withe to shin the ball in off the post 1-0 to the villa we were absolutely ecstatic men were hugging each other and crying it was the best feeling ever, the last 25 minutes seemed to last over an hour we even survived a narrow offside in which they scored but thank god it was disallowed phew .So the final whistle went it was an unbelievable feeling we had won the European cup, we were all crying with joy on the terraces it was fantastic, up went Dennis Mortimer to collect the cup and the rest shall we say is history. Occasionally I still watch the game and it still makes me emotional to see the goal and the final whistle. Oh what fantastic days I WAS THERE. To this day i still carry my official travellers card in my wallet everywhere i go great memories ahhhhhhhhhh.
Aston Villa 1-0 Bayern Munich
Feyenoord Stadium, 26th May 1982
Villa's magnificent European Cup victory came in their first attempt in the competition. It came after five years of English domination in the European Cup, with Liverpool and Nottingham Forest winning the Trophy for the previous five years.
Villa started the game with Jimmy Rimmer, the veteran keeper, in the goal. After only ten minutes he ricked his neck and was replaced by a very inexperienced Nigel Spink. Rimmer had played a magnificent part by conceding only one goal in the previous eight matches leading up to their European Final.
Twenty-three year old Spink showed instant maturity as the supporting Villa army of 10,000 fans cheered his every involvement in this, only his second major game.
Although Bayern, the mighty West German outfit, were the more prominent attacking side for much of the game, Villa were rarely in serious difficulties as the defence and the midfield battled magnificently.
Dennis Mortimer played his usual captain's part, driving his team forward and setting an example.
Villa's most effective forward was the left winger Tony Morley, with his speed and ball control in making forward surges. The goal after sixty-seven minutes was as a result of one of these runs. Morley took Shaw's pass past Augenthaler, ran to the left by-line and crossed to Withe who, alone in front of a gaping goal, side footed the ball against a post from where it rolled over the line. It was not the best goal Withe had ever scored, but he described it as, "The most momentous goal of his career."
The match ended and Villa were European Champions. The German supporters were stunned at this turn of events, they had been red-hot favourites, and at the end, international stars such as Rummenigge, Hoeness and the captain Breitner sat in dejected disbelief as Dennis Mortimer went up to collect the huge silver Trophy.
Aston Villa: Rimmer (Spink 10), Swain, Williams, Evans, Mortimer, McNaught, Bremner, Shaw, Withe, Cowans, Morley.
Bayern Munich: Muller, Dremmier Horsemann, Weiner, Augenthaler, Kraus, Durnberger, Breitner, Hoeness, Mathy, Rummenigge.
Referee: G Konrath (France). Attendance: 39,776.
After winning the first leg at home 2-0 we thought this was going to be a holiday against Inter Milan but how wrong could we be. We travelled for 28 hours trying to get there on the coach because our driver got lost so we arrived at your hotel in the early morning shattered, we must have passed this one church 20 times thanks driver. After a couple of hours sleep we went and walked around our small village about two hours drive from Milan but most places shut in the mid afternoon because of the heat so not a lot to do but have a drink at the bar, so we did all afternoon until the match. On the way to the match all these eye-ties were saying how we were going to get beat 3-0 we all laughed how wrong could we be. After arriving at the stadium we were amazed at the way the spiral walkways went as high as they did we sat right at the top of the stadium. When the teams came out all you could see was firecrackers and flares all over smoke covered the whole pitch you couldn't see the other side. Kick off starts soon it was 1-0 to Milan and the ground were in uproar the whole stadium you could feel was shaking under your feet I have never felt it any where before, then 2-0 even louder it went and then we knew that we were going to lose bang 3-0 and it was all over. During the game I swapped my villa shirt for a Milan one with a fan and also a silk banner which I both still have nearly ten years on. Then the final whistle blows and the Italians go wild then all of a sudden bombard us with coins and bottles for about ten minutes so we take cover until we exit and walk down the winding column back to the bottom and then to the coaches. The travelling back home seemed to take forever again but the views through Switzerland and Italy partly made up for it.
After losing 3-1 at Tranmere Rovers a couple of weeks before we thought that Wembley had gone again for another year. We were 1-0 up at the time when John Aldridge burst through only for Bozzie to bring him down we all thought he was going to get sent off but he was lucky to stay on ,Aldridge gets up and scores the penalty 1-1 so the game carries on into the second half we score again 2-1 then with about ten minutes left we make it 3-1 all square on aggregate. The ref blows his whistle full time oh no penalties!!! Bozzie stars as we win on penalties we have got to Wembley for the first time i have been going to the Villa FANTASTIC
We beat the Manc Scum 3-1 what a brilliant day we stopped them winning the treble and wiped that smug grin off there faces that day. We had spent most of the day in the pub down the road forecasting the afternoons result how many we would win by that sort of thing as well as having a good laugh remember WHEEL! if you can. Then staggering down to the stadium to witness Big Ron's finest hour at the club. Dalians first Deano's second and third a penalty in between a boring Mark Hughes goal and it was all over the cup was coming up the m6 to BRUM what a day.
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On 7 May 1994, after 45,347 supporters said an emotional farewell to Villa Park's most notorious landmark, the Holte End. First built in the immediate years after the First World War and named after the architect who built Aston Hall, the Holte terrace was marginally the largest 'kop' in English football and was viewed as the spiritual home to the most ardent of Villa fans. With the advent of all-seater stadiums, though, its days were numbered and during the 1994/95 season a new Holte End had been built. The last game was against Liverpool in which we won 2-1 thanks to two Yorkie goals. After the whistle me and my cousin the Dealer made sure that we were the last fans off the Holte End and we were, only a couple of stewards that made us leave were left, GOOD OLD DAYS gone forever now so we can say WE WERE THE LAST ONES OUT ON 7th MAY 1994!!! This was the final piece in the Villa Park jigsaw and, built on a similar design to the Witton Lane and North stands, it holds approximately 13,500 spectators, which brings the Villa Park capacity to around 40,000. As Aston Villa can now boast one of the finest stadiums across Europe, a venue that would be worthy of staging any football match. |
Tony was born in Ormskirk on 26th August 1954 and grew up in
Lancashire and played for St Bedes School and Ormskirk and District. Despite his
small size he battled bravely in midfield and out on the wing. He won his chance
after being spotted by Preston during a School match.
Preston North End signed Tony Morley in June 1970. In his first season he didn't
play a game for Preston as they were building up his strength and he grew from
4ft 10 to 5ft 8. Once, when he went to Newcastle United for a B team match, the
steward wouldn't let him in thinking he was an autograph hunter. He turned
professional in September 1972 and experienced Division 3 football for the next
four seasons. During his stay at Deepdale, he won England U23 caps and seven
England Youth caps despite being a 3rd division player. He scored 15 goals in 84
league matches, which caught the eye of Burnley. Tony had previously turned down
a move to Arsenal in favour of continuing his development at Preston.
Burnley then snapped up Morley for a club record transfer fee of £125,000. Tony
had played for three seasons at Turf Moor scoring 5 goals in 91 League games. He
was in and out of team due to inconsistent form. One day, Harry Potts (the
Burnley manager at the time) called him to his office and told him he had agreed
terms with Aston Villa for £200,000.
Tony Morley was signed to give much-needed width to the Villa attack by Ron
Saunders. He played with Brian Little, John Deehan, Gary Shaw and David Geddis
upfront. In his first season he helped Aston Villa to reach 7th in Division 1
with 3 goals in 18 games. Ron Saunders then bought Peter Withe and Brian Little
was suffering from serious injury. Ron Saunders then switched him from the right
wing to the left wing and it seemed to pay off as he scored 10 goals in 42 games
and helped Aston Villa to win the Division One title with several world class
performances and set up many goals for Peter Withe and Gary Shaw. He had arrived
on big stage. Ron Saunders keep slagging him off, as he knew that would get him
fired up and produce the goods. In a famous 3-1 away win against Everton he had
scored a wonderful goal, running from the half way line and scoring a screamer
over the keeper. It won him goal of the season. Villa then qualified for
European Cup next season. Aston Villa had only used 14 players in a Championship
winning season, which is incredible.
Tony Morley is one of the best ever Villa players, who played for Aston Villa
between 1979 to 1983. He helped them to win the European Cup 1982 by scoring
several vital goals along the way – the first goal in the 5-0 home win against
Valur of Iceland. He scored 2 difficult goals against Dynamo Berlin of Former
East Germany, which we won 2-1 in Berlin and lose 1-0 at home. In the quarter
final Aston Villa beat Dynamo Kiev who have supplied many Russians International
players with 2-0 home win to seal a place in semi final of European Cup. Tony
Morley's brilliance in scoring the only goal in the semi which is enough to seal
a place in European Cup final despite the goalkeeping brilliance of Anderlecht's
goalkeeper. Morley then played in the European Cup final and set up a beautiful
cross from the left wing for Peter Withe to score a goal that beat Legendary
German Giant Bayern Munich 1-0 and win Aston Villa their first ever European
Cup. Without Tony Morley and goals from golden boy Gary Shaw, Aston Villa
wouldn't have won the European Cup.
Tony then became an England International by making his England debut in a World
Cup qualifying match against Hungary in Wembley on 18th November 1981. He went
on to win a place in the England squad for World Cup 1982 in Spain and won 6
caps total. If Tony were playing today he would probably have earned over 50
caps as England don't have anyone for their problem left midfield spot. He is a
very good player but sadly underrated.
He then helped the Villa to win the European Super Cup by beating Barcelona over
two bad tempered legs. The European Cup winning team was broken up as Doug Ellis
brought the club back and cashed in to clear the debts and the club never again
saw the heights of the Morley era in the early 80s. Tony went to Birmingham City
on a months loan, in which he scored 3 goals in 4 games.
The reason Tony was so good was that he was very skilful and used his pace to
destroy many defenders and set up many goals (as well as scoring goals). He was
a similar player to David Ginola but he has more pace and hunger.
After leaving Villa Park he had moved to West Bromwich Albion for £75,000 after
losing his place to Mark Walters. Then he had a spell for FC Seiko in Hong Kong
for a year, a year for Den Haag in Holland. Then Ron Saunders brought him back
to West Bromwich Albion where he stayed for a season, then moved to Florida to
play for Tampa Bay Rowdies in America Football League. He then retired from
professional football. He is currently working as salesman, media pundit for The
Villan's Radio, and heavily involved with Aston Villa Former Player Association,
which he play football for raising money for charities and still is an exciting
player to watch despite being in late 40s.
Tony Morley was one of the finest left wingers we have ever had play for the Villa. When we signed him in 1979 from Burnley for £200,000. Most people said is he any good. Well after a few games in the 80-81 season where he scored 10 goals and numerous match of the day goals people started to take notice of this quality player. During the season he contributed to probably half of the championship winning goals for us scoring and creating loads. He was my favourite player ever for the Villa and it was a shock that Tony Barton sold him to West Brom for£75,000 in December 83
